Recipe: Water Bagels

WATER BAGELS

Cornmeal (for dusting baking sheet)
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F), divided use
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup bread flour (high gluten)
31/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Lightly dust a baking sheet with cornmeal.

In a medium-size bowl, combine yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar. Pour 1/2 cup warm water over mixture. Let stand until yeast and sugar have dissolved and yeast is bubbling.

Add remaining 1/2 cup of warm water. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar, salt, oil and bread flour and beat thoroughly. Gradually add unbleached flour, stirring until you have a firm well-mixed dough. If dough reaches firm consistency before all flour has been added, add remaining flour during kneading process.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured board and knead vigorously 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and resilient.

Divide dough in 18 equal pieces. Form bagels by rolling pieces of dough in cylinders and fuse ends together. Or form a ball, poke your fingers through to make hole in center and twirl dough until bagel reaches desired size. Place bagels on prepared baking sheet and let rise 20 to 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free place.

About 10 minutes before bagels have finished rising, bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly dust baking sheet with more cornmeal.

Add remaining sugar to boiling water. Drop three bagels into boiling water. Bagels should stay on surface or sink and immediately rise. If bagels do not pop right up to surface, they have not risen long enough. Poach each side of each bagel about 2 minutes.

When both sides have been poached, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bagels.

Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes or until perfectly browned.

Makes 18 bagels
Source: Bagelmania